Genetic dog diseases a nightmare for owners, vets

Thursday

Jul 3, 2014 at 2:00 AM

We love your dog! Yes, veterinarians love your dog. You may wonder: My dog is a — fill in the blank — meaning a specific breed. Does the vet like cocker spaniels, viszlas, coonhounds? Of course we do. Most veterinary facilities are equal opportunity dog lovers. There are, however, some breeds that make us stop and catch our breath.

We love your dog! Yes, veterinarians love your dog. You may wonder: My dog is a — fill in the blank — meaning a specific breed. Does the vet like cocker spaniels, viszlas, coonhounds? Of course we do. Most veterinary facilities are equal opportunity dog lovers. There are, however, some breeds that make us stop and catch our breath.

Why are some breeds of dogs veterinary nightmares? What inheritable diseases cause us — and you — a ton of worries?

Well, let's start with allergies. Some breeds are known to be extremely sensitive to pollen, dustmites, molds and certain foods. These genetically transmitted traits are found very commonly in spaniels, in retrievers, in terriers. It seems that certain coat colors are predestined to be itchy. In the summer, it's not ununusal to see the "strawberry effect": a white pit bull who comes into the office with skin the color of — you guessed it — a bright red ripe strawberry.

Along with the skin goes, of course, the ears. Ears are just an extension of a dog's body, and an itchy, allergic dog's ears are going to take the brunt of it. Just too easy to rub on the couch and rug, it seems.

Another problem we see all too frequently is joint disease. While it was common 30 years ago to see hip dysplasia in the larger dogs (think of German shepherds of the past), careful breeding and early screening X-rays of breeding dog hips has limited the extent of this problem currently. However, along with the popularity of the large retrievers, we now see cruciate disease — ligaments of the knee that tear and need to be surgically repaired. Often we need to call in our orthopedic surgeon if the damage is severe. Spinal arthritis is still very common in the shepherds, retrievers and other large dogs and can be crippling for the pet, and very challenging for the owner.

As our dogs live longer lives and get excellent preventive veterinary care, they can fall prey to different types of cancer. Just as people are exposed to environmental dangers and genetic risks, dogs of certain breeds are more prone to tumors of certain organs. While researchers are working hard to limit these risks, there is still a long way to go on learning how to lessen the chances that a dog can be affected by this dreadful disease.

And of course, bad behavior is inheritable! Your dog is foolish and out of control?

An example: My youngest lab, Bibi, is a full-speed-ahead train wreck, chewing and carousing and generally a hot mess of bad manners. Where did she get this awful trait? From her parents' poor training skills!